Lightweight ceramic foam and its manufacture method

摘要

A ceramic foam (B) has a cellular structure (A) formed by foaming one of an aqueous slurry containing ceramic powder and ceramic fibers (preferably ceramic short fibers) (E) dispersed throughout the slurry and an aqueous slurry containing (E) dispersed in an aqueous solution having a component as a raw material of ceramic powder dissolved in it and firing the foamed slurry. (E) Is dispersed throughout (A) to effectively reinforce (A). (B) has a density of =0.2 g/cm 3>. An independent claim is included for producing the ceramic foam comprises: (a1) adding ceramic fibers into a nonaqueous solvent containing a metal alkoxide dissolved in the solvent; (a2) dispersing the ceramic fibers in the solvent; (a3) adding one of the aqueous slurry containing ceramic powder and an aqueous solution containing the component serving as the raw material of the ceramic powder dissolved in the aqueous solution, into the nonaqueous solvent; (a4) stirring the obtained mixture; (a5) separating the mixture into an aqueous and non-aqueous phases; (a6) removing the supernatant nonaqueous phase to obtain the aqueous slurry containing the ceramic fibers dispersed in it; (a7) adding a foaming agent into the slurry; (a8) foaming the slurry under mechanical stirring; (a9) filling and drying the foamed slurry in a mold to form a molded body; and (a10) firing the molded body.